Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Pork" by Denise Duhamel is a vividly humorous yet poignant poem that explores the complexities of marriage through the seemingly trivial yet symbolically significant topic of dietary preferences. The poem delves into the tensions that arise when personal choices—such as what to eat—intersect with relationship dynamics, love, and cultural expectations.

The narrative voice in the poem is that of a wife grappling with her husband's love for pork, a food she herself does not consume. This difference in dietary choice becomes a lens through which Duhamel examines deeper themes of compatibility, desire, and compromise within a marriage. The poem begins with a scene that encapsulates the dilemma: the husband, reminiscent of his bachelor days, longs for pork dishes he once enjoyed, now munching on "second-choice pork rinds" as a substitute for what he truly craves.

The wife, observing her husband's longing glance at the pork section in the grocery store, feels a pang of inadequacy and a fear of potential marital discord. She strategically distracts him by placing dairy products in their cart with noticeable loudness, steering him towards the chicken instead. This moment highlights the subtle maneuvers often employed in relationships to avoid conflict or to steer loved ones in a preferred direction.

As the poem progresses, the wife reflects on her own fears and insecurities about not satisfying her husband's desires, not just in terms of his diet but on a deeper, perhaps more existential level. The reference to the husband’s nostalgic enjoyment of ham at their wedding reception, and his habitual ordering of sides of bacon in restaurants, underscores the sense of loss and longing that pervades their domestic life.

Duhamel cleverly uses humor and irony to explore these marital dynamics, as seen in the wife's discovery of Spam and Bacos hidden behind breakfast cereal—an image that both amuses and reveals the secret compromises and private longings that characterize many marriages.

The poem also touches on societal and familial influences on marital expectations. The wife's fears are not just about her husband's dietary preferences but are deeply rooted in her observations of marital disasters from her childhood, particularly the dramatic breakdown of her aunt's marriage over her uncle's wandering eye, humorously paralleled with his taste for pig's feet.

In the final lines, the husband's reassurance and the wife's subsequent comfort in her fuzzy pink slippers—which he gifted her—suggest a return to affection and stability. However, the poem leaves open the question of whether these superficial resolutions address the underlying issues or merely postpone their eruption.

Overall, "Pork" is a richly layered poem that uses everyday scenarios and light-hearted humor to probe significant questions about love, compatibility, and the concessions we make for harmony. Duhamel's poem invites readers to reflect on the personal sacrifices hidden behind the mundane choices of daily life and the universal challenge of maintaining one’s identity within the compromise-laden space of a committed relationship.

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